Top legislators from China and Australia have expressed their
satisfaction with the development of relations of their
countries.
At a meeting with Speaker of House of Representatives David
Hawker here on Tuesday, Sheng Huaren, vice chairman of the Standing
Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said the
overall Sino-Australian relationship is assuming a sound
development trend, which is marked by a deepened economic and trade
cooperation.
Sheng, who is on a six-day visit to Australia at the invitation
of the House, is attending an exchange conference under a bilateral
parliamentary mechanism scheduled on Wednesday.
The NPC and the House of Representatives signed a memorandum of
understanding last August to set up the exchange mechanism, a move
Sheng described as marking a new era of parliamentary exchange
between the two countries.
On the Taiwan issue, Sheng reiterated the fundamental principle
of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," and zero
tolerance towards "Taiwan's independence."
He expressed the hope that the Australian side will continue to
support China's cause of peaceful reunification and maintain peace
and stability in the region together with China.
Echoing Sheng's remarks on bilateral relations, Hawker pointed
out that the Australian-Chinese relations are at their best time
since the diplomatic relations were established 35 years ago.
He said the exchange mechanism will help parliamentarians of the
two countries forge better understanding and friendship between
them.
Hawker told the Chinese delegation that both the Australian
government and the parliament will stick to the one China policy
and allow no changes to it.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2007)
